NEWSLETTER
On Saturday night, Triple-A Iowa reliever and podcast star Dakota Mekkes pitched his fifth straight scoreless relief appearance, lowering his season ERA to 1.25. It was a perfect microcosm for the rebound season he’s having: six outs and lots of strikes.
In fact, Mekkes threw strikes on 19 of his 23 pitches, the most efficient strike-throwing outing of his pro career (min 12 pitches). He lowered his BB% down to 8.3, the lowest since rookie ball, and a huge slash from the 14.7 mark that was partially to blame for the 2019 season that marked the first struggles of Mekkes’ professional career.
“I don’t have one specific thing I’ve changed that’s helped that,” Mekkes told me, though acknowledging his time at the Alternate Training Site in 2020 had a focus on fastball command. “My struggles have always been walks and it’s been huge for me to pound the zone more.”
The improved efficiency – and the realities of the bizarre and injury-riddled 2021 season – have allowed Mekkes to become a guy who can go for two-plus innings: only twice in 11 outings this season has he finished with fewer. Mekkes said that Iowa pitching coach Ron Villone had prepared them for this reality at the start of the season, and Mekkes’ offseason work dating back to the 2019-2020 winter had conveniently prepared him to answer the bell.
“I noticed in 2019 when I went back out for the second inning that I would feel sluggish and not have the same energy,” Mekkes said. “That offseason I lost weight, and after 2020 I took the weight loss and tried to turn it into muscle.”
This has been the only jarring difference between 2021 Mekkes and the guy we’ve seen in the past. The rest, by my eye, are relatively small differences:
An improved slider is one of the reasons for the Dakota Mekkes (@DMekkes7) resurgence this season. This kind of pitch, particularly to a left-handed hitter, was not available to him in 2019.
Season numbers: 21.2 IP, 15 H, 1.25 ERA, 7 BB, 21 K, 1 HR-A. pic.twitter.com/cS4OJqTbLp
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) June 15, 2021
These small improvements have added up to make a huge difference, surely changing Mekkes’ standing in the organization. When Double-A Tennessee was hammered with injuries in mid-May, the Cubs asked Mekkes to head from Iowa down to Tennessee to fill in. While not a merit-based demotion, Mekkes used it as motivation.
“I took it as they see me as the last guy in the bullpen here if they sent me down here,” Mekkes said. “I took it as I have to prove myself.”
Plus, there’s the additional motivating factor of being the last remaining member of ‘The Compound’ podcast to not have reached the Majors, as Zack Short made his debut this year. “I feel that pressure everyday,” Mekkes joked.
Mekkes has done a really good job at improving his weaknesses while retaining the things that made him unique. While now offering the ability to pitch multiple innings in middle relief, he’s still the RHH-killer (.171/.227/.171 this year) that has never wavered during his time in the organization. While the Cubs bullpen is not going to be easy to break into in 2021, credit to Mekkes for forcing the issue.
